India’s Supreme Court strongly criticized the Allahabad High Court on Monday for failing to grant bail in a case involving charges of forced religious conversion. The Supreme Court questioned the High Court’s reluctance to exercise its discretion in granting bail to Maulvi Syed Shad Kazmi, who was accused of unlawfully converting a mentally challenged minor [...]
The Oklahoma State Board of Education on Tuesday to approved a new administrative rule proposed by State Superintendent Ryan Walters that would require parents to disclose their children’s immigration status when enrolling them in school. The rule states that when parents or legal guardians enroll their children in school, they must “provide proof of United States citizenship at the time [...]
![Council of Europe determines legal standards for invalidating elections following Romania court ruling](https://www.jurist.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/europe_flags_1738186853.jpg)
The Council of Europe’s Venice Commission (officially European Commission for Democracy through Law) has published an urgent report on the conditions and legal standards whereby constitutional courts can invalidate elections following a controversial ruling of the Romanian Constitutional Court. The report, published Monday, was in response to a request from Theodoros Rousopoulos, president of the [...]
The administration of US President Donald Trump on Wednesday rescinded a directive to freeze funding across federal agencies just one day after announcing the sweeping measure, which had left agencies and beneficiaries scrambling to determine its impact. However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that only the memo instating the freeze was being rescinded, [...]
Mississippi state and the US federal government have neglected to protect Black women from cervical cancer deaths in the rural Mississippi Delta region, the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative for Economic and Social Justice (SRBWI) and Human Rights Watch said in a report released Wednesday. The report states that “there are persistent and glaring racial [...]
![India court orders sanctions against journalist over 'anti-India sentiment' posts](https://www.jurist.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/1280px-Third_largest_Indian_flag_in_Tankbund_Hyderabad.jpg)
A Delhi court directed the police to register a First Information Report (FIR) against journalist Rana Ayyub following a complaint accusing her of insulting Hindu deities and spreading “anti-India sentiment” through her posts on X. The court’s order came in response to a petition filed by advocate Amita Sachdeva, who alleged that Ayyub’s tweets, some [...]
![Trump restricts access to gender-affirming treatment for transgender youth](https://www.jurist.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/Wreath-laying_ceremony_with_President-elect_Donald_J._Trump_170119-A-IP333-119-1.jpg)
US President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Tuesday directing federal agencies to restrict access to gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth under age 19 and block federal funding for such treatments. The order requires federal health programs to exclude coverage for gender-affirming surgeries and hormone treatments for minors beginning in 2026. Key provisions [...]
![US federal judge temporarily blocks Trump's federal aid spending freeze](https://www.jurist.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/Donald_Trump_27150816364.jpg)
A US federal district judge granted an administrative stay in a case challenging the Trump administration’s planned freeze of federal aid on Tuesday, pausing the plan for a week and setting a hearing for further arguments next Monday morning. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a memo directing federal agencies to temporarily pause [...]
![Italy PM Giorgia Meloni investigated for release of Libya police chief following ICC warrant](https://www.jurist.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/Giorgia_Meloni_at_the_Special_European_Council_-_2024.jpg)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was put under investigation on Tuesday for the release and repatriation of Libyan Judicial Police chief Osama Almasri Njeem, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi opened investigations against Giorgia Meloni for allegedly aiding and abetting Almasri. This occurred following a lawsuit issued by [...]
![India Supreme Court grants opportunity for states and union territories to enforce directives on caste discrimination in prisons](https://www.jurist.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/Supreme_Court_of_India_01.jpeg)
The Supreme Court of India granted a final opportunity on Tuesday for states and union territories to comply with its directives to eradicate caste discrimination within prisons. This development marks a significant step in addressing systemic inequalities in the Indian criminal justice system. The court initiated these proceedings suo moto (on its own accord) after [...]